HifiZine publishes independent reviews of a range of audio equipment. We don’t impose budgetary constraints – equipment is reviewed at the interest of our reviewers.
The USB dongle form factor for DACs has become not quite common, but certainly not a surprise. With the fairly rapid appearance of DXD and multi–rate DSD downloads, many consumers desire a future–proof purchase that will play everything. To address that market, LH Labs decided to… get weird! Oliver Masciarotte reports that “It’s a tiny techno tour de force, and a bargain to boot… highly recommended!”
“All of my audiophile life, I’ve been a solid state guy…” writes Patrick Dillon in his review of the Raven Audio Nighthawk integrated tube amplifier. From budget speakers through to his high-end reference, Patrick experiences the joys of the Nighthawk. “Everything seemed just right: smooth vocals, a sufficient sense of space, clear instrumental lines, and a vibe that just made listening effortless.”
“A long time ago, there were ‘radios,'” writes Oliver Masciarotte in opening his review of the Audioengine B2 Bluetooth speaker, a genre he considers the “modern equivalent of a hi-fi clock radio, without the clock.” A step up from battery-powered portables, most of which fail to meet his expectations, Oliver considers the B2 “a tough one to beat.”
“Setting up a turntable is not always the simplest of tasks… ” Patrick Dillon challenges his fingers, eyesight, and patience installing the Furutech La Source 101 headshell leads and auditioning with multiple cartridges, and concludes: “The La Source 101 leads brought obvious improvements in all areas of reproduction… Unhesitatingly recommended.”
Phono cables might carry the most delicate signals in an audio system, connecting the minute outputs of a cartridge to an amplification or step up stage. Patrick Dillon tries a couple of higher-end offerings from Purist Audio and Furutech in his rig and finds that some cables really do make a difference.
“The computer audio revolution marches forward… and I’ve got my marching boots on,” writes Thad Aerts as he continues his investigation into computer-based audio. Three mid-line USB cables from AudioQuest provide the basis for another round of extensive comparisons into USB cabling… but with an interesting footnote. And what does this have to do with beer? Read on….
“You may be surprised every now and then by a product that defies the imagined rules,” writes Patrick Dillon in opening his review of the Maraschino Class D monoblock amplifiers from Digital Amplifier Company. After months of putting the Maraschinos through their paces, Patrick concludes “I find myself seduced by the quality of music provided by the Maraschinos. Recommended for music lovers.”
Supertweeters have gone in and out of vogue over the years, with moving coils, ribbons, quasi–ribbons and piezos to choose from.” writes Oliver Masciarotte in his review of the ENIGMAcoustics Sopranino supertweeter. “… Why bother with ultrasonics?” Oliver discovers the sonic effects of a modern implementation of the concept with three different loudspeakers.
“Being a relatively entrant (one year) into the computer audio game, it’s all new to me and am fascinated by each new, little discovery. I had yet to compare USB cables…” writes Thad Aerts in his own evaluation of the sonic effects of the VUE Cables VU-1 USB cable.
“Mini by name but not by nature” writes Patrick Dillon of the latest foray by the renowned Bryston company. He continues “If I had to characterize the sound of these speakers in a word, it would be ‘smooth’. The Mini-Ts present the most even, coherent, full-range sound I’ve heard from a non-floorstander.”